2009-2010 COR Faculty Grants Program

REG: Preparing and Submitting the Application

This program is designed to assist faculty who need a relatively small amount of grant support to conduct their research. The maximum amount that can be requested through this program is $1,000. The application form has been shortened and simplified, requiring only an abbreviated project description, an explanation of how the funds will be utilized and a bibliography. Applications will undergo review and funding will be merit-based as required by Senate bylaws. Although an amount of up to $1,000 may be requested, the actual amount awarded will depend on the number of applications submitted to this program, and may be less than $1,000.

Funding is given for the direct conduct of innovative and scholarly research or other creative activity. The REG is not a substitute for the resources that should be provided through departmental funding. Faculty whose total research support exceeds $5,000 may not apply to the REG program (this includes funding from any external agencies, as well as any internal funding or start-up funds).

REG Reviewing Criteria

RREG funds are awarded through a review process that examines:

The quality of the proposal.
Justification of the requested budget.
The investigator’s prior record of scholarly productivity.

REG Submission Guidelines

Applicants may request up to $1,000. Although an amount of up to $1,000 may be requested, the actual amount awarded will depend on the number of applications submitted to this program, and may be less than $1,000.
Faculty whose total research support for 2008-2009 exceeds $5,000 may not apply to the REG program (this includes funding from any external agencies, as well as any internal funding or start-up funds).
Project Description: Please describe the proposed research project.. Although this may not provide adequate space to fully describe the objectives and methods of a research project, a well-crafted research proposal does enable one to convey the scope of the work and the need for funding within these limits.
Field Entries: Applicants may copy text from a separate document and paste it directly into the application. However, please note that the online application will not record special characters (i.e. symbols and accents) or fonts/ styles (bold, underline, italics).
Budget Justification: Briefly outline how the funds will be spent. Note specific expenses (i.e.; If you intend to budget $100 for telephone calls, note how these phone calls relate to your research). Requests not accompanied by a statement as to how the item/service/trip relates directly to the proposed project will not be considered. Note: Computers and software that are essential to the research project are eligible for REG support. The importance of such items for carrying out the proposed research must be fully justified.
Rebudgeting: The investigator may re-budget award funds among categories unless: (1) The amount is greater than $300 or (2) Purpose is to fund field research not stated in the original proposal. The investigator must seek COR's approval for these.
REG funds are provided by the Chancellor to support the research of the faculty, not the research of graduate students or postdoctoral fellows. A proposal stating that the funding would be used to support a student's dissertation research, as opposed to describing how the student will aid in the faculty member's research, will not be eligible for funding.
Your completed proposal must be received electronically no later than 5 pm on Friday, February 6, 2009. Late applications will not be accepted.
If an award is made, funds must be spent between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010. General accounting will automatically return any funds that are unexpended as of June 30, 2009, to the Academic Senate Office. The faculty member’s department is responsible for removing any overdrafts at the end of the granting period.
If you mark "yes" to the use of human or animal subjects in your application, you are required to obtain an approval for the use of these subjects in your proposed project, or an exemption from either the Human Subject Protection Committee (HSPC) or the Animal Research Committee (ARC) prior to award funding notice. This is a University policy, as noted in UCLA Policy 910: Management of Sponsored Projects.
1. REG allowable budget funding categories include the following:
  - RESEARCH ASSISTANCE - Preferably Graduate or Undergraduate students, whose services are used to aid the research of the principal investigator. REG funds may not be used to support the student's dissertation research.
  - REPROGRAPHICS - Research related copying charges (strong justification required).
  - COMMUNICATION EXPENSES (e.g., Fax, Telephone & Mail) - The portion of these charges that is directly related to the research project may be requested. The research-related nature of these charges must be itemized and justified. Does not support lease/purchase of equipment or service contracts.
  - EXPENDABLE SUPPLIES – Research related equipment/items. The research-related nature of these items must be itemized and justified. Title to non-inventorial equipment/items, regardless of cost, is held by UCLA [UC Regents].
  - FIELD EXPENSES (Research Travel) - Only travel taken for the purpose of gathering research. RREG grants may not be used for attending conferences. Destination and purpose of travel must be clearly described.
  - OTHER EXPENSES (including Patient Care/Subject Costs) - This category is intended to designate research-related expenses not covered in preceding categories.
2. REG funds cannot be used to fund the following:
  - Basic cost of departmental infrastructure (teaching/instruction & administration), repairs or maintenance of equipment.
  - Purchase of non-research specific equipment, e.g., telephones, FAX machines, cellular telephones.
  - Purchase of reprints, periodicals, office furniture.
  - Publication costs or subventions to publishers; preparation of textbooks.
  - Any costs associated with teaching or instruction; membership fees.
  - Conference travel. (Apply to COR’s Conference Travel Program).

Research Protocol

Research involving human or laboratory animal subjects conducted by or under the direction of a UCLA investigator, using any property or facility of the University, funded or not, regardless of location must be submitted to the appropriate Committee for review and approval. It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator to determine whether the above referenced research requires either an approval or exemption from HSPC or ARC before utilizing award funds. Research proposals must be approved by the appropriate Committee prior to the initiation of any activity, and the research may not continue past its approved term.

If your research project involves the use of human or laboratory animal subjects, you are required to either submit to or file with a Human Subject Protection Committee (HSPC) or the Chancellor’s Animal Research Committee (ARC) copies of your proposal, together with the information requested by those Committees. For more information on UCLA's policies governing the use of live subjects, please visit the Office for Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS). The Protocol on the HSPC or ARC approval form must be the same as the Protocol proposed on your FGP application.

If your research project includes recombinant DNA molecules, UCLA Policy 992: Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules requires that you complete a Registration Document [IBC Form 1 (8/88)] and file it with the Institutional Biosafety Committee as notification of your project or as application for approval by that committee. For information, call the campus Institutional Biosafety Committee at (310) 206-3929.

Intellectual Property Use: Does your research project involve development of potential patentable inventions or intellectual property? Please contact the UCLA Office of Intellectual Property for more information.